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Rome, Florence & Venice | 9 Days

Rome, the Eternal City, has exerted a huge influence over the world in it’s 2500 years of existence. With wonderful palaces, millennium-old churches and basilicas, grand romantic ruins, opulent monuments, ornate statues and graceful fountains, Rome has an immensely rich historical heritage and cosmopolitan atmosphere, making it one of Europe’s and the world’s most visited, famous, and beautiful capitals.

Florence, a city rich in art and history, rose to prominence in the 14th - 16th centuries under the House of Medici, and was home to Galileo, Machiavelli, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci. We’ll spend two nights in Florence, including a day trip to Siena, a medieval city frozen in time since the 14th Century.

Venice, a city made up of 118 islands linked by bridges and canals, in a lagoon between the mouths of two rivers in northeastern Italy, has changed little over the past 600 years. We’ll spend two nights exploring one of the most romantic cities in Europe and one of the most beautiful in the world.

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Itinerary

Day

City

Highlights

1

Airborne

Meet your Group Director at the airport for an overnight flight to Italy!

2

Orientation

Arrive in Rome. Coffee/Pastry. Navigate to the hotel. Pizza/Panini. Walk to San Pietro in Vincoli. Admire Michelangelo’s Moses. Gelato. Walk to the Basilica of Saint Clement. Explore the 12th century basilica, then descend to the 4th century basilica, and then descend to the 1st century domus of a Roman nobleman. Find the Capuchin Crypt home to the skeletal remains of almost 4,000 monks. Visit the Trevi fountain on the way back to the hotel. Relax and freshen up for dinner in Rome.

3

AncientRome

Early breakfast. Enjoy a guided tour of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and Roman Forum. Lunch overlooking Trajan’s Column before a guided tour of the Domus Romane at Palazzo Valentini. Coffee/Pastry/Gelato. Stroll to Piazza Venezia and take the elevator to the terrace of Il Vittoriano for a panoramic view of Rome. Admire Michelangelo’s Piazza del Campidoglio on the Capitoline Hill then explore the museums. Relax at the hotel and freshen up for dinner in Rome.

4

ModernRome

Morning stroll up the Pincian Hill and through the gardens of Villa Borghese. Explore the Borghese Gallery. Enjoy the panorama of Rome then stroll down to the Spanish Steps. Coffee/Pastry/Shopping. Ascend to the ramparts of Castel Sant’Angelo for another great view of Rome. Lunch at Piazza Navona then visit the Pantheon and Campo di’Fiori. Shopping with a regroup at the hotel. Farewell dinner in the cellars of Da Pancrazio, originally a room of the Theatre of Pompey (where Caesar was assassinated).

5

Vatican CityFlorence

Early breakfast. Explore the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. Enjoy the view of Rome from the cupola of Saint Peter’s Basilica then explore the basilica itself. Take the fast train to Florence and navigate to the hotel. Explore the museum, climb the tower, and admire ruins of the Roman Colony beneath Palazzo Vecchio before enjoying dinner on Piazza della Signoria.

6

Florence

Early breakfast. Climb Giotto’s Campanile for wonderful view of Brunelleschi’s Duomo. Admire Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia. Lunch/Shopping at Mercato Centrale then spend afternoon relaxing in the Boboli Gardens and exploring the Pitti Palace. Sunset pictures of Ponte Vecchio from Ponte alle Grazie then admire Florence at night from Piazzale Michelangelo. Dinner on Piazza della Republica.

7

FlorenceVenice

Early breakfast. Explore the Uffizi. Lunch/Shopping. Fast Train to Venice. Vaporetto ride on Grand Canal. Check into hotel. Climb tower of San Georgio Maggiore for a 360° view of Venice at sunset. Stroll around Venice in the evening (it's very different when the daytrip tourists have departed). Dinner in Venice.

8

Venice

Early Breakfast. Guided tour of the Basilica di San Marco. Coffee/Pastry/Gelato. Guided tour of Doge’s Palace and the Bridge of Sighs Prison. Lunch/Shopping then visit the Galleria dell’Accademia. Gondola Ride and Farewell Dinner.